Illuminating fixture



Nov. 11, 1941.

ILLUMINATING FIXTURE Filed oct. 30, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l E. F. GUTH 2,262,582

Nov. 11, 1941. E. GUTH 2,262,582

ILLUMINATING FIXTURE Filed Oct. 30, 1939 ZSheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILLUMINATINQ FIXTURE Edwin F. Guth, St. Louis, Mo. Application October 30, 1939, Serial No. 301,969 1 Claim. (01. 240 7s) This invention relates to illuminating fixtures, and with regard to certain more specific features, to electrical illuminating fixtures.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of an electric illuminating fixture of the direct-indirect type, which is highly efficient in the manner in which it distributes portions of the light both upwardly for indirect illumination and downwardly for direct illumination; the provision of a fixture of the class described which, in operation, has no objectionably glary or brilliant surfaces when viewed from any normal position of an observer; and the provision of a fixture of the class described which is relatively simple and economical to construct. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which are illustrated several of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in axial section, of a fixture embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section takensubstantially along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a second embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a third embodiment of the invention; and,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a fourth embodiment of the invention.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. l. numeral l indicates the usual stem or tube by which the fixture of the present invention is supported, as from the ceiling. .At its lower end the stem I carries a socket 2, which is surrounded by a husk or socket cover 3, in the usual manner. Numeral 4 indicates an electric light bulb, of the usual pear-shaped form, which has an integral silvered reflecting portion 5 at its lower, hemispherical'end. It will be pointed out hereinafter that the silvered reflecting portion 5 need not be integral with the bulb, but for the time being the invention will be described in its embodiment using such a bulb.

" shaped or annular reflector of the type generally used in indirect illuminating fixtures. The particular conformation of this reflector 6 is not the subject of the present invention; the present invention may be adapted with facility to substantially any form of indirect reflector of this general category. However, the reflector 6 of the present invention differs in that it is open across substantially its entire bottom, as indicated at. 1 0. numeral 1.

1 5..a central opening .9 at its upper end, which is "its end of lesser diameter.

The reflector 8 is concave downwardly. The lower, outer end of the reflector 8, being the end of greatest diameter, is secured by rivets ID, or other suitable 2p means, to the side walls of the reflector 6, so

that the reflectors 6 and 8 are in relatively permanent assembly. In the embodiment of the invention now being described, the opening 9 in thetop of the reflector 8 is of considerably larger 25. diameter than the maximum diameter of the bulb 4, so that the reflector assembly .easily passes over the bulb 4. The top of reflector 8 is spaced a short distance above the upper edge ofsilvered reflecting. portion 5, this distance 9 preferably being adjustable in a manner hereinafter to be described.

The under or concave surface of the reflector 8 is preferably highly polished, so that it is a substantially specular reflector. The inner or concave surface of the reflector 6, on the other hand, may be and usually is diffusely reflective. The reflective character of the reflector 6 above the reflector 8 is of little moment to the present invention.

9;, Slipped into suitable key-hole shaped openings 2l along the. upper edge of .the reflector 8 are the lower headed ends 20 of wires H, the upper hooked ends 22 of which are engaged in suitable openings in the lower edge of the husk 3. The

; ,key-hole shaped openings 2| have lower portions of suflicient size to pass the heads 28 of wires H, and upwardly extending portions of smaller width sufiicient to pass wires l I but not heads 20. In this manner the reflector assembly is 50 ,supported in proper axial position, relative to the bulb 4, from the husk 3.- Ordinarily three such wires II are suflicient properly to achieve this support.

. The openings 2| are preferably near-the upper Nume a 5 indicates an upwardlycfacing bowl-. edge of reflector 8. One or more-additional rows the bulb 4, it will be understood, is opaque, so that no light whatsoever escapes downwardly directly from the bulb 4. light in the bulb 4 is directed upwardly throughout a substantial hemisphere the bounding plane of which is at the bottom and substantially horizontal. Part of this light is intercepted by the specular reflecting surface of. reflector 8, and reflected downwardly through the opening I of reflector 6 to afford direct illumination. 'O'r- The silvered portion 5 of stantially as heretofore, but in this instance cast from a refractory material such as glass and then silvered to present a mirror surface on its lower face '24. The reflector 8 of this embodiment rests freely on an annular shoulder 25 formed in the side wall of reflector 6 The lower ends of wires II, in this embodiment, hook into suitable brackets 26 on the inner surface of reflector 6 The invention does not necessitate the use of a bulb with an integrally included silvered portion 5, as has heretofore been suggested. Fig. 5, for example, illustrates an embodiment of the I invention suitable for use with a bulb (indicated On the contrary, all of the by numeral I2) that is formed of transparent or translucent glass throughout. In this embodi- .ment, a discrete hemispherical reflector element [3, such as a thin metal hemisphere, the inner surface of which is polished or silvered to be subdinarily the fixture is so designed that this downwardly reflected light does not constitute more than-the order of of the total light, but this proportion may be'varied by adjustment of the relative positions of the fixture and bulb, as hereinbefore indicated. The remainder of the light, which is not intercepted by reflector 8, is directed upwardly against the ceiling, with the aid of the inner surface of reflector 6,. to afford the desired indirect illumination. The proportion of emitted light used for the" directillumination afforded by the reflector B may also b varied within wide limits, by varying the curvature in cross section, as well as by varying the axial position of said reflector 8. j A notable feature of the fixture of the present invention is that to an observer looking upwardly at the fixture, from any position other than one almost immediately under it, there is no objectionable glare or brilliance on any of the fixture parts as a result of the means provided for, direct illumination. The observer, of course, cannot see. the light source directly, because of the opaque nature of the silvered. region 5 on the bulb 4. The curvature of the reflector 8 is such that substantially all of the light rays are directed downwardly in'a cone of gradually'increasing diameter. The reflector 8 reflects. substantially no light against the inner surface of the reflector. .6 therebeneath, and. such inner surface, which is the only one ordinarily visible to the observer looking at the fixture, consequently is'notobj-ectionably brilliant or glary'. In other words, that portion. of the inner surface of reflector 6 below the reflector 8 is substantially in shadow at all times. I I

Fig. 3 illustrates a modificationof the invention wherein the wires H are dispensed with. In this, modification the opening 9 in the top of reflector 8 is made slightly less in diameter than the maximumdiameter of the bulb 4; the fixture assembly comprising reflectors 6v and 8 is then supported, in operation, by hanging it directly on the bulb 4. inthis embodiment, as well as in the prior embodiment, the upper edge of the reflector 8 is again positioned somewhatabove the upper edge of the silvered portion 5 of the bulb 4, so that light for direct illumination can reach the specular reflecting. concave surface of reflector 8%".

Fig. 4 illustrates another modification where the reflector 8 is a separate piece, shaped substantially specularly reflecting, is fitted closely around the lower end of the bulb l2. Supporting strips I 4', or other suitable means, support this hemispherical reflector I3 from the upper edge of the reflector 8. The remainder of the fixture' of Fig. 5 is substantially identical to the fixture of Fig. 1. It will readily be seen-that in. this instance the discrete reflector I3 functions in almost an identical manner to the int'egral silvered reflector portion 5 of the bulb 4" in the Fig, 1 embodiment. I

A principal advantage of all of the embodiments of the invention thus described is the ease and economy with which they may be manufactured, and, in most instances, serviced with a new lamp (through the opening). Substantially no parts are required that cannot be readily produced by a simple spinning operation. There are substantially no parts of irregular shape or conformation, and the assembly of the fixture is a simple operation, requiring substantially no particular skill on thepart of the worker. Nevertheless, the fixture is a highly eflicient one, and one which presents a pleasing, ornamental appearance.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in the abov constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter ,reflecting means at the hemispherical end portion of said bulb and adapted to reflect light toward the socket, a first annular reflector facing the socket and surrounding the bulb but spaced therefrom, and a second annular reflector facing away .from the socket and between the It will be noted that bulb and said first reflector, said second reflector having an inner edge axially nearer the socket than the edge of said hemispherical reflecting means, said second reflector having a substantially specular concave reflecting surface facing inner surface of the first reflector beyond the second reflector in a direction away from the socket, and means for adjusting the relative vertical positions of said bulb and said reflector as-' sembly for varying the proportions of light reflected towards and away from said socket.

EDWIN F. GUTI-I. 

